Uni-body casing manufacturer shutdown may affect Mac notebook shipments

A Chinese factory responsible for manufacturing the metal housings for Apple's uni-body laptop lineup has been shutdown due to "strange odors" emanating from the plant, potentially causing a 40% decrease in shipments for November.

Catcher Technology, a Taiwanese company with factories in Eastern China, was ordered on Sunday to shutdown a factory that produces 60% of Apple's uni-body enclosures for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines, according to the Financial Times. The plant also produces casings for Apple's iMac and products for other notebook makers such as Acer, Dell, Lenovo and Sony.

The president of Catcher Technology, Allen Horng, reported that total shipments would fall 20% in October, adding that November could see a 40% drop if the local government doesn't clear the plant for operation by the end of the month.

"Shipments to our customers will inevitably be affected," Horng said in a press conference Monday. "We already asked them to make adjustments to their (casings) procurement."

It is unclear whether the plant shutdown will affect shipments of a rumored MacBook Pro refresh, expected to be announced later this month. Notebooks accounted for a majority of Apple's Mac sales in the quarter ending in June.

Analysts expect another record breaking quarter, bolstered by strengthened MacBook Air sales, when the company announces its quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

31 Comments

acslater017 424 comments · 18 Years

About 13 years ago

As unfortunate as this is for Mac fans, I suppose it's better safe than sorry. If an explosion like the one at Foxconn happened again, and they had ignored strange smells, people would have blamed them for not taking the proper precautions. Good to see these plants valuing safety.

Having said that, I hope they can get the plant back online soon and get those new MBPs out! Hopefully USB 3.0 is in the works due to the new Intel chips?

minnesota_steve 109 comments · 14 Years

Would not be surprised to learn that Apple commands available capacity first to meet their supply needs. I wouldn't assume equal distribution of capacity loss.

sflocal 6133 comments · 16 Years

I'm interested in getting more details as it evolves. Are there chemicals being used in the milling of the aluminum blocks? Perhaps the lubricants used to cool the milling bits are getting out of hand over there?

I say it's a good call by the Chinese government for once. If that company is violating something, get it resolved and get environmentally responsible too. Not cool if they were trying to bypass regulations.

macologist 264 comments · 16 Years

As soon as the latest Update to Macbook Pro Line is out, I'll get my MBP 17', and iPhone 4S!!! I'll max both out!

But I agree - safety can not be ignored!

Having watched the latest 10/4/11 iPhone 4S Event, I yet again got a very nice feeling of stability! Apple is a very steady, All Pro "ship", in High End Pro Hands, so I am sure they are handling this, and everything else very well, cause they are pros!

801 269 comments · 18 Years

If this was a company owned by one of the Chinese generals, or some connected hack, this would have never happened. But being owned by a foreign entity, and twiwanese at that, I am certain that all safety regulations must be followed, to the letter and beyond. That's how capitalism works there.